Chapter 4: The First Scroll - The Abundant Water Plantain and the Ways of the World

The woman in purple glanced at Chen Huisheng, who was sitting cross-legged, cultivating his qi, and sighed softly.

Of course, she could see through Xuan Chimei's thoughts, but she did not approve.

The Nine Lotus Sect was not an ordinary small sect; its rules were strict.

Even if Xuan Chimei had exceptional talent, she had only been a disciple for three years and was merely at the Second Stage of Qi Cultivation. In the sect, she was not considered a significant figure, at most a promising new star.

Although she had shown great potential and talent, talent and potential needed to be realized, and time, insight, resources, and opportunity were all essential.

In such a major sect, the number of outstanding talents entering each year was like fish crossing a river. You might be considered a prodigy in a county or prefecture, but among millions of people in a region, it might not be the case.

Those who could truly cross the great chasms and enter the core of the sect were few and far between.

Many people entered the sect thinking they were unique and full of confidence.

But after a few decades, they gradually became ordinary, accepting mediocrity.

However, Xuan Chimei was indeed one of the few geniuses in the sect in recent years, highly regarded by some of the sect's leaders.

"Chimei, are you and this young gentleman very close?"

"When I was five, I went to visit relatives at Yuanbao Fort and fell into the water. He saved me. At that time, his Dao bones were already set, but his spiritual roots were not clear. He seemed to have awakened his spiritual roots at around thirteen or fourteen, which was a bit late. He hurriedly went out to seek the Dao and has not been heard from for years..."

The girl's eyes showed a hint of melancholy. "I didn't expect that after six years, he still hasn't entered the Dao..."

The woman in purple shook her head. "Chimei, do you think everyone has such good talent as you? In Liao County, with over 200,000 ordinary people, only a few hundred infants are born each year, and among them, there are no more than a hundred with the potential for the Dao. Even those who can awaken their innate spiritual roots on their own number only thirty to fifty. How many truly enter the Dao each year? Moreover, they are either from noble families or have been selected by major sects early on. Someone like him, who awakened late and has mediocre talent, wandering around like a headless fly, you should know, has no chance of entering the Dao."

The girl knew that generally, setting one's Dao bones by the age of seven was just the basic threshold for entering the Dao.

If one had not awakened their innate spiritual roots by the age of fourteen, it meant they could only have acquired spiritual roots, making it almost impossible to enter the Dao.

Even if one awakened their spiritual roots before the age of fourteen, the timing mattered. Generally, the earlier, the better.

Awakening one's spiritual roots before the age of ten meant the best spiritual roots and the best insight.

She herself had awakened her spiritual roots at the age of eight, so she was quickly selected by the Nine Lotus Sect and brought into the sect.

Those who awakened their spiritual roots between the ages of ten and fourteen still had a chance, but their potential was generally not as good as those who awakened before the age of ten.

After the age of fourteen, if one's spiritual roots had not awakened, it was almost impossible to awaken them.

Unless one used rare treasures to transform their Dao bones and reshape their spiritual roots, transitioning from acquired to innate, but their potential would still not match those with innate spiritual roots.

But how many rare treasures were there in this world?

And wouldn't it be better to use such treasures on those who already had innate spiritual roots?

Even the offspring of important figures found it difficult to obtain such opportunities.

"Just..." The girl's face showed a struggle.

"Chimei, I know you value friendship, but there are things to do and things not to do. Pursuing the impossible is meaningless," the woman in purple advised.

For someone like Chen Huisheng, who was already twenty and had not entered the Dao, the Nine Lotus Sect would never accept him. In fact, awakening his spiritual roots at the age of fourteen had already doomed him to not entering a major sect.

"Senior Sister Xianxian, can we...?" The girl still seemed reluctant to give up, looking at her senior sister with a pleading expression.

Actually, she and this senior sister were not very familiar before.

It was because this senior sister was coming to Yig Prefecture to receive disciples, and her hometown had some issues, so she also wanted to return and take a look. With the sect's permission, they traveled together.

However, along the way, this senior sister had taken good care of her, so they gradually became closer.

"Chimei, do you really just want to help him a little?"

The woman in purple, Yu Xianxian, looked at her seriously.

Before coming, the elders in the sect had specifically reminded her to take good care of this girl, who was a highly potential foundation-building seed in their Yuanhe Sect.

Yu Xianxian also knew that this girl was already at the Second Stage of Qi Cultivation at the age of thirteen, entering the Dao within three months of joining the sect, becoming one of the fastest to enter the Dao in the Nine Lotus Sect's thousand-year history.

In recent years, the average time for new disciples to enter the Dao in the Nine Lotus Sect was about three years, and she herself had taken one year and three months, which was considered relatively fast.

But this girl had taken only two months and twenty-six days, breaking the record of a genius from ten years ago, who had taken two months and twenty-eight days, and it was less than a fraction of the time she had taken.

More despairingly, this girl had broken through two stages in just over three years.

She herself had spent five years after joining the sect to achieve the First Stage of Qi Cultivation and another three years to break through to the Second Stage.

But this girl had broken through two stages in just three years, a significant gap that made Yu Xianxian feel a twinge of jealousy.

Based on this girl's performance, she would likely surpass her before the age of sixteen. Thinking of this, Yu Xianxian felt a bit weary.

The competition in major sects was unimaginable to outsiders, and its cruelty was chilling.

In the Nine Lotus Sect alone, there were hundreds of disciples, and dozens at each level.

Everyone was striving to break through and advance as soon as possible to gain more resources from the sect.

The better you performed, the more resources you would receive from the sect.

The few Dao seeds she was receiving this time had already been selected and given a year of observation.

But after joining the sect, if one did not enter the Dao within five years, they would be given a choice.

Either be transferred to a subordinate branch for self-cultivation or choose to leave the sect.

In other words, even if you joined the Nine Lotus Sect, not everyone could enter the Dao.

Major sects would provide more methods to inspire one's spiritual senses and more opportunities for self-realization, but if you could not achieve it, you would still be eliminated.

It was that cruel. Even if you were a prodigy in your county or prefecture, if you did not make a breakthrough in a few years, you would be kicked out.

But if you truly showed sufficient talent and potential, the sect would not hesitate to provide ample, even luxurious, resource support.

The Qi Circulation and Meridian Smoothing Pill that this girl had given to Chen Huisheng, while not the sect's most precious, was still very valuable, and disciples below the Third Stage of Qi Cultivation could not obtain it.

She herself had received no more than thirty Qi Circulation and Meridian Smoothing Pills in fifteen years, and almost all of them were after reaching the Third Stage.

But this girl, who had been in the sect for only three years and was at the Second Stage of Qi Cultivation, already had five or six.

This was the difference.

So Yu Xianxian really wanted to befriend this girl.

Perhaps in one or two decades, this girl would reach the foundation-building stage earlier than her, or even become a Purple Mansion in the sect.

Building a relationship now was like warming a cold stove.

She knew that this girl rarely made friends in the sect and was indifferent to everyone.

The girl looked at Yu Xianxian with some surprise and nodded solemnly, "Of course."

"Then I'll tell you, you should know that it's impossible for him to join our Nine Lotus Sect. The Nine Lotus Sect never accepts disciples of such an advanced age, and even breaking the rules is unlikely. You don't have that much influence yet."

Yu Xianxian shook her head.

"What do you mean, Senior Sister?"

The girl was a bit angry.

"Let's talk about it when we get to Liao County. You know that some incidents have occurred in Xiyang, Liao, and Meng counties in Yiyang Prefecture, so the sect has specially approved your return to visit your family. Our sect and some others are also patrolling in Yig Prefecture..."

Yu Xianxian hesitated, "If he can't join our Nine Lotus Sect, perhaps he can join other sects that are friendly with us, but this depends on the attitude of the sect's executive in charge in Yig Prefecture."

The girl, being intelligent, immediately understood. "Is the executive patrolling Yiyang Prefecture from our Yuanhe Sect?"

"It doesn't seem to be, but it is from the Xiyun Sect, which has always been friendly with our Yuanhe Sect. Perhaps we can ask the elder for help. If it works, it would be better than him aimlessly wandering around, thinking that being a wandering cultivator is easy."

Yu Xianxian's words gave the girl a glimmer of hope, and she quickly said, "I have been in the sect for too short a time and have been busy with cultivation, so I am not very familiar with the sect's situation. Please help me this time, and I will remember it for life."

Yu Xianxian smiled, holding the girl's hand. "Chimei, why do you say that? We are of the same sect and should help each other. If it can be done, I will do my best."

Yu Xianxian also felt a bit moved. They said this girl was warm on the outside but cold on the inside, but she was so grateful, which was rare. If she helped her once, she hoped she would remember it in the future.

Chen Huisheng, who had finished his cultivation in the left side hall, came over to thank them and also to interact with them.

Xuan Chimei was not to be mentioned, but Yu Xianxian, who was already at the Third Stage of Qi Cultivation, was the highest-level cultivator Chen Huisheng could currently interact with.

Initially, in the side branches of two major sects and a small sect, the highest level he could interact with was also the Third Stage of Qi Cultivation, showing the strict hierarchy in the Daoist sects.

In Yuanbao Fort, with over a thousand households and nearly four thousand people, almost every year a couple of Dao seeds were born, but in ten years, not one had entered the Dao.

Xuan Chimei was from Heimu Cliff, but she was also the only one in Heimu Cliff to enter the Dao in the past ten years.

In the entire Gud Town, Xuan Chimei was undoubtedly one of the best in the past twenty years. In Liao County, at the age of thirteen, she was already known to many.

With her current potential and position in the Nine Lotus Sect, she would surely become a notable figure in Yiyang Prefecture or even Yig Prefecture in the future.

From any perspective, Xuan Chimei was someone Chen Huisheng needed to be grateful to and treat seriously.

Seeing Chen Huisheng's envious gaze at the disciples around the campfire in the right side hall, Yu Xianxian understood his feelings.

But reality was so cruel. Both were innate Dao seeds, but you had struggled for years, turned twenty, and achieved nothing, while the other was about to enter a major sect at the age of thirteen or fourteen, ready to soar.

"Chimei, since you haven't seen the young gentleman for years, why don't you go talk to him first? I'll supervise the others to practice and rest early," Yu Xianxian was considerate.

Xuan Chimei nodded.

She also wanted to talk to this benefactor whom she had not seen for years.

If it weren't for Chen Huisheng and the other two Chen family members risking their lives to save her from the deep pond, there would be no her today. She had always remembered this kindness.

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(End of Chapter)